Star Atlas, Innate Level 20!

Bang.

The heavy wooden door shut, completely sealing out all the mockery and clamor from outside.

The world was quiet.

Han Yuchen leaned against the door and let out a long breath.

The disappointment, grievance, and unwillingness on his face... expressions good enough to make Oscar judges rise and applaud, vanished without a trace the instant the door closed.

In their place was a cold sneer utterly unfitting for a six-year-old, along with fervent anticipation that had been suppressed for six whole years and was finally about to erupt.

"I've played the Sickly Child for six years. My bones are practically rusting."

He rolled his frail shoulders, producing several soft cracks.

"Still, the results were pretty good."

A curve lifted at the corner of Han Yuchen's mouth.

He knew very well that today's "Wasted Spirit" and "Level 1 Spirit Power" would be the perfect camouflage for his future.

The more thoroughly they built up their expectations, the higher they praised him, the more spectacular their expressions would be when they came crashing down later.

He liked seeing those expressions.

Ignoring the growling of his stomach, Han Yuchen walked over to the room's only hard wooden bed and sat down cross-legged.

He closed his eyes.

The entire world instantly sank into darkness and silence.

"Six years."

"It's been six whole years since I crossed into this world and became an abandoned infant in Sacred Soul Village."

"As the Divine Soul Origin of the Starlight Ruse King, awakening my spirit was merely the first step of inserting the ignition key."

"Now..."

"It's fucking time to boot up!"

With a thought, Han Yuchen's consciousness instantly sank into the deepest part of his soul.

There should have been nothing there but boundless darkness.

But the next second, the darkness was violently torn apart by a dazzling starlight!

Bzzzz—!

An irresistible, vast, and majestic suction force swept over him. Han Yuchen's consciousness seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and violently dragged downward, plunging in an instant into a boundless sea of stars beyond description!

Countless enormous stars slowly revolved around him, while magnificent rivers of stars flowed down from above like waterfalls.

Ancient, mysterious, and majestic auras rushed toward him.

Here, he felt so small that he did not even count as a speck of dust.

At the very center of that magnificent sea of stars, an ancient codex formed from hundreds of millions of starlights floated silently.

It did not move, yet it seemed to be the absolute center of this universe.

[Host's spirit has been detected as awakened. Activation requirements met...]

An emotionless yet grand voice, as though it had come from the primordial chaos of the universe, rang directly within Han Yuchen's soul.

[Star Atlas, activating...]

[Divine Soul Origin, preliminary return complete...]

The instant the voice fell silent, the ancient Starlight Codex slowly opened.

Rustle—

Pages formed from starlight turned soundlessly, each movement seeming to guide the motion of the entire sea of stars.

Immediately afterward, an endless torrent of information transformed into the purest soul imprints and surged fiercely into Han Yuchen's mind like enlightenment pouring into his head!

No pain came. In its place was a sense of fullness, as though his soul had been completely filled.

The three core functions of the Star Atlas were branded into his soul with perfect clarity.

[Function One: Plunder and Evolve]

[No need to kill spirit beasts. Defeat a spirit beast until it is near death, and its Soul Origin may be imprinted within the codex, perfectly absorbing its age and abilities. There is also a chance to plunder its innate bloodline, for the evolution and enhancement of the host's spirit. Ignores absorption limits and all risks!]

Han Yuchen felt no ripples in his heart. He even kind of wanted to give it a thumbs-up.

Good, very good. While everyone else was still grinding monsters and leveling up, I could just feast. And it was the kind of feast where the best dishes came out right at the start.

[Function Two: Star Tempering]

[Can absorb the Power of Stars from the nine heavens to temper spirit rings, spirit bones, and the host's physique. Spirit ring age may be increased without limit after acquisition. Each time it rises by a major tier, a brand-new spirit ability may be comprehended from that spirit ring. No limit to growth!]

Damn! Buy one, get one free—more like buy a spirit ring and get a pile of abilities. Even Pinduoduo would have to call me big brother.

[Function Three: Dimensional Space]

[Comes with an ever-expanding Dimensional Space. The flow of time within can be controlled and may be used to accelerate cultivation, store items, and cultivate Heavenly Treasures.]

Han Yuchen's consciousness floated within the sea of stars, the corners of his mouth stretched all the way to his ears.

Good heavens!

Killing and looting, strengthening and leveling up, a portable old-grandpa space...

It was a complete one-stop service! So thoughtful!

Just as he was wildly ranting inwardly, a sudden change occurred at the center of the atlas!

Billions of starlights gathered, and a blurry yet incomparably majestic phantom slowly emerged.

It was a King bathed in endless starlight, draped in a galaxy, with eyes like celestial stars. Merely his outline radiated the supreme dominance of one ruling over the universe.

Starlight Ruse King!

The true form of his Divine Soul Origin!

The instant the phantom appeared, vast Soul Power, as deep as an abyss, surged out from the atlas like a volcano that had been suppressed for billions of years. It flowed along Han Yuchen's consciousness and instantly filled his frail six-year-old body!

[ Ding! Divine Soul Origin has initially returned to its proper place. Spirit Power is being calibrated... ]

Boom!

In the real world, Han Yuchen, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, suddenly shuddered.

He felt the meridians within him, which had been so dry they were about to crack, instantly washed through, widened, and reshaped by an incomparably vast force!

It felt like using an excavator to clear out a sewer that had been clogged for years!

Brutal! Overbearing! Completely unreasonable!

Amazing!

His pitiful Level 1 Spirit Power, under the infusion of that Soul Power, began skyrocketing madly like a rocket from the newly launched Far Ahead brand!

Level 1...

Level 3...

Level 5...

Boom!

The first insignificant bottleneck did not even raise a ripple before being shattered instantly!

Level 8...

Level 10!

This number was precisely the Innate Full Soul Power Tang San had been so proud of!

Yet this was merely the beginning!

The rise of his Spirit Power did not slow in the slightest!

Level 11... Level 13... Level 15...

Boom!

Another bottleneck was crushed to pieces by that unreasonable force as though it were nothing!

Level 18...

Level 19...

Level 20!

The violent Spirit Power finally slowly subsided. Like countless rivers flowing into the sea, it ultimately settled firmly at the mark of "Level 20"!

Deep within Han Yuchen's soul, a line of dazzling golden words slowly appeared on the panel of the Star Atlas:

[ Current Spirit Power: Level 20 (Innate Spirit Power) ]

Inside the wooden hut, Han Yuchen suddenly opened his eyes!

Two terrifying flashes of light shot out and vanished, making the entire dilapidated hut seem to brighten!

"Innate Full Soul Power? What the hell is that?"

"I was born a Soul Grandmaster!"

Feeling the surging power inside him, so vastly different from before, he could not help throwing back his head and laughing heartily.

After laughing, he stroked his chin, a trace of cunning utterly unsuited to his age flashing through his eyes.

"Still, one should keep a low profile. The bird that sticks its head out gets shot."

"If a Level 1 Wasted Spirit suddenly became a Level 20 Soul Grandmaster, then if word got out, Spirit Hall's people would probably capture me the next day and slice me up for research."

He had no desire to become a lab rat.

With a thought, Han Yuchen tried communicating with the Star Atlas deep within his soul.

Sure enough, the atlas's abilities were far more powerful than he had imagined.

At his command, an invisible force enveloped his entire body, effortlessly disguising the Spirit Power fluctuations he emitted as Level 2.

"Mm, let's set a small goal first: reach Level 10 Spirit Power in three months."

"I'll just be an 'ordinary little genius.'"

"That way, it will perfectly explain why I can absorb my First Spirit Ring without being too shocking or attracting unnecessary trouble. Perfect."